Today is the last day of my official month long paleo experiment. I can't believe the month is over. I feel like it just started. Now the big question...what do I eat tomorrow?
Paleo.
The past month has taught me a lot about how and why eating clean is really a great way to look at nutrition. For the longest time I believed that what I ate didn't really matter because I was a good athlete despite loving Twizzlers and bagels. I love to play sports and be active. I am blessed with the ability to catch onto sports and athletic movements quickly. I have been active my entire life. That is not new to me. However, I was not blessed with these abilities because of my nutrition. This month, I proved to myself that my nutrition can actually enhance the abilities I already have. I can actually make myself better by eating better.
Wow.
This month, despite the Oklahoma heat, I PR'ed multiple WOD's that I hadn't PR'ed in a while: Jackie, FGB, the evil SDHP/Thruster 5 rounder plus some PR's on Olympic lifts. It was awesome. Of course I don't know for sure that I hit these PR's because I was eating paleo, but I do know I felt awesome because I was eating paleo. That is enough proof for me.
Why would I want to give up on something that is making my quality of life so much better? I plan on adopting a 90/10 paleo lifestyle. I'll allow myself about two open meals a week. I look at food completely different now. I love to eat fresh, real food. I love not having packaged items in my grocery cart. It makes me feel so good.
Who would have ever thought that this girl could go to Red Robin without reaching for a fry (even though I was careful to never eat too many), eat at a Mexican restaurant without indulging in chips and salsa, or walk past a M&M bowl without snagging a couple chocolate goodies? I have made amazing progress and I don't plan to let all my hard work go to waste.
I have become a cave women for life.
Now what about you? What are your final thoughts about paleo? Were you happy with how you changed on the outside? How did it change the way you look at nutrition? Did you do this for pure vanity or to improve performance? Were you happy with your results? Are you going to indulge in a non paleo meal tomorrow?
I am going to keep this blog up. It may not be as regular, but I hope to start posting meals that I love and more paleo information. I am still not finished with The Paleo Diet for Athletes so I will continue to post about that as well. I really appreciate all of you following along. You all helped keep me accountable. Thank you!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Traveling on Paleo
The last weekend of my paleo experiment has taken me far out of my comfort zone to the land of Michigan. I say the land of Michigan because it is a 180 from my homeland of Oklahoma. The weather is nice, it feels like a great Oklahoma November day. I tried my best to prepare for my trip and stay on paleo just like I have been the last twenty nine days. I knew as long as I was prepared there would be no chance to fall of the wagon.
I started in the Tulsa airport around 9:30AM. I had breakfast at 6:30AM, so I was getting close to needing my snack. I had a big Ziploc bag full of almonds, macadamia nuts and Larabars plus a bag full of sliced zucchini. I wanted to save all my prepared snack food for the plane an my arrival in Detroit. I headed over to Camille's to check out their breakfast items. I ended up ordering a vegetarian breakfast wrap. It came with scrambled eggs, mushrooms, tomato and a tomato pesto. I discarded the tortilla of course. It was the perfect snack prior to my flight. Very satisfying.
I landed at 2:25PM. This is about an hour after my normal lunch time. I don't need a watch because I can tell what time it is by when my body gets hungry. Believe me, it was hungry. My husband picked me up at the airport and we ventured to a small suburb where he is currently rotating as a medical student. I was snacking my zucchini and trail mix I picked up at the airport when I landed (dried blueberries, cranberries, almonds, sunflower seeds...no added sugar, I checked the label). We made our way around the hospital talking to other medical students and residents. All the sudden it was 5PM and I had still not really had lunch. I was in desperate need of a protein fix. Protein is the single hardest thing for me to prepare when traveling. Normally I keep hard boiled eggs on hand, but only if I know I will eat it within the hour.
We headed to the hospital cafeteria where we split the meat from a turkey burger. I felt like a new person. When you are traveling, sometimes you don't have the luxury of making sure what you are eating is 100% paleo, but you do the best you can. We made it to a great restaurant about an hour and half later. I had some great gazpacho, a side salad, baked scallops and green beans. Green beans were the vegetable of the day. Again, you do the best you can. Green beans aren't technically a vegetable, they are a legume, but it is green and that works for me when I need a veggie fix and they are the only choice.
Now that we are settled eating is not a problem. Traveling always throws off your eating schedule no matter what kind of food you eat. When I was hungry I didn't go for the Auntie Anne's pretzel because I was stocked with paleo friendly snacks to keep me on track. You may have to make a few compromises here and there (green beans, semi processed turkey burger meat), but do the best you can. Hopefully over the past month you have all learned how to make the best choice possible when it comes to food. Even in the most tempting situations, what you eat is a decision. Make good ones! No excuses!
I started in the Tulsa airport around 9:30AM. I had breakfast at 6:30AM, so I was getting close to needing my snack. I had a big Ziploc bag full of almonds, macadamia nuts and Larabars plus a bag full of sliced zucchini. I wanted to save all my prepared snack food for the plane an my arrival in Detroit. I headed over to Camille's to check out their breakfast items. I ended up ordering a vegetarian breakfast wrap. It came with scrambled eggs, mushrooms, tomato and a tomato pesto. I discarded the tortilla of course. It was the perfect snack prior to my flight. Very satisfying.
I landed at 2:25PM. This is about an hour after my normal lunch time. I don't need a watch because I can tell what time it is by when my body gets hungry. Believe me, it was hungry. My husband picked me up at the airport and we ventured to a small suburb where he is currently rotating as a medical student. I was snacking my zucchini and trail mix I picked up at the airport when I landed (dried blueberries, cranberries, almonds, sunflower seeds...no added sugar, I checked the label). We made our way around the hospital talking to other medical students and residents. All the sudden it was 5PM and I had still not really had lunch. I was in desperate need of a protein fix. Protein is the single hardest thing for me to prepare when traveling. Normally I keep hard boiled eggs on hand, but only if I know I will eat it within the hour.
We headed to the hospital cafeteria where we split the meat from a turkey burger. I felt like a new person. When you are traveling, sometimes you don't have the luxury of making sure what you are eating is 100% paleo, but you do the best you can. We made it to a great restaurant about an hour and half later. I had some great gazpacho, a side salad, baked scallops and green beans. Green beans were the vegetable of the day. Again, you do the best you can. Green beans aren't technically a vegetable, they are a legume, but it is green and that works for me when I need a veggie fix and they are the only choice.
Now that we are settled eating is not a problem. Traveling always throws off your eating schedule no matter what kind of food you eat. When I was hungry I didn't go for the Auntie Anne's pretzel because I was stocked with paleo friendly snacks to keep me on track. You may have to make a few compromises here and there (green beans, semi processed turkey burger meat), but do the best you can. Hopefully over the past month you have all learned how to make the best choice possible when it comes to food. Even in the most tempting situations, what you eat is a decision. Make good ones! No excuses!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
It Was Just a Dream
The past few nights I have had very strange dreams...about food.
The first night I woke up in a complete panic. I had consumed three entire pizzas during my dream. Three. First, that isn't humanly possible. Second, I woke really thinking it had happened. Third, I did not have any kind of craving for pizza before or after the dream. No, I do not believe my body was telling me it needed the pizza. It was just strange.
The next night I had a similar dream. This time, however, it involved Honey Nut Cheerios, chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream. Oh sugar goodness. In my dream I was visiting my in laws. I was walking around their home with a cup full of dry Honey Nut Cheerios. This happens on a regular basis when I visit them or my parents. Pre paleo Ginny loved dry cereal. OK, I probably still do, but it isn't my snack of choice anymore. Later in the dream I consumed a plate size piece of chocolate cake covered in ice cream. Seriously, what is wrong with me? Has anyone else had dreams about food for no apparent reason? I would have expected this during week one or two, but not with five days to go! The refined grain and sugar devil is playing tricks with my mind...it won't work I tell you!
I apologize for no real updates on The Paleo Diet for Athletes the past few days. I hope to have some more read for tomorrow.
I would like to send a great big congratulations to Breck and Nicole on the birth of their new baby girl! Congratulations guys! This girl is going to be one amazing CrossFitter someday, just you wait and see! She has great genes from both parents.
The first night I woke up in a complete panic. I had consumed three entire pizzas during my dream. Three. First, that isn't humanly possible. Second, I woke really thinking it had happened. Third, I did not have any kind of craving for pizza before or after the dream. No, I do not believe my body was telling me it needed the pizza. It was just strange.
The next night I had a similar dream. This time, however, it involved Honey Nut Cheerios, chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream. Oh sugar goodness. In my dream I was visiting my in laws. I was walking around their home with a cup full of dry Honey Nut Cheerios. This happens on a regular basis when I visit them or my parents. Pre paleo Ginny loved dry cereal. OK, I probably still do, but it isn't my snack of choice anymore. Later in the dream I consumed a plate size piece of chocolate cake covered in ice cream. Seriously, what is wrong with me? Has anyone else had dreams about food for no apparent reason? I would have expected this during week one or two, but not with five days to go! The refined grain and sugar devil is playing tricks with my mind...it won't work I tell you!
I apologize for no real updates on The Paleo Diet for Athletes the past few days. I hope to have some more read for tomorrow.
I would like to send a great big congratulations to Breck and Nicole on the birth of their new baby girl! Congratulations guys! This girl is going to be one amazing CrossFitter someday, just you wait and see! She has great genes from both parents.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Food as Fuel During Exercise
Chapter 5 in The Paleo Diet for Athletes focuses on food being used as fuel during exercise. It takes a close look at how the typical American diet differs from that of the hunter-gatherer. The typical western diet varies in these seven areas:
1. Macronutrient balance (carb, protein and fat)
2. Glycemic load
3. Fatty acid balance
4. Potassium/sodium balance
5. Acid/base balance
6. Fiber intake
7. Trace nutrient density
Macronutrient Balance
Americans love their carbs. Our diets have typically been very carbohydrate heavy. Our diets have generally looked like this, protein (15.5%), carbohydrate (49%), fat (34%) and alcohol (3.1%). The hunter-gatherer diet split protein (19-35%), fat (28-47%) and carb (20%-40%). Hunter-gatherer's have a much higher intake of fat, but it was typically the more healthful omega-3 and monounsaturated fat. The types of fat most Americans eat come from fatty beef, fried foods and other junk that is unhealthy for our hearts. While the carbohydrate intake is much lower in the hunter-gatherer diet, the carbs are much higher quality than those of the diet most eat today.
Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load (all info taken from page 85-87 in book)
I remember the first time I heard about the glycemic index. I heard someone talking about it on a NutriSystem commercial. I thought it was just another silly gimmick to sell diet food. Over the past year, I have become a believer in the science behind the glycemic index. Basically, the quality of a carbohydrate can be determined by the glycemic index. It rates how certain foods raise blood sugar levels compared with glucose. White bread, for instance, has a glycemic index of 100. The higher the glycemic index, the faster the food is turned to sugar and the faster your blood sugar rises. Why is a fast rise in blood sugar bad? It causes your energy to spike and then you crash. It won't sustain you through a long day or a hard workout. If a food has a high GI then it digests quickly and is absorbed quickly and realeases glucose in the blood stream quickly. A low GI food is digested slower and releases glucose at a more even rate into the blood stream. This helps keeps energy levels balanced.
The original glycemic index compared equal quantities of carbs (50 grams of carbs per food item). Watermelon has a glycemic index of 72 and a chocolate bar has a glycemic index of 43. Obviously, you would think watermelon is a better choice than chocolate, but according to the glycemic index, it would wreak more havoc on your blood sugar. Why? Because this is measuring 50 grams of carbs from each product. You would have to eat only 3 oz of chocolate to reach the 50 grams of carbs and 1 1/2 pounds of watermelon to reach the 50 grams of carbs. Confusing, right?
To overcome this confusion, the glycemic load scale was developed. It is measured by taking the glycemic index and multiplying it by the carbohydrate content in a typical serving. Much better. Most all refined grains and sugars have high glycemic loads, while fruits and veggies have lower glycemic loads. Meat and seafood have very low carb content so they do not change blood sugar or insulin levels like other foods. Here are some examples of foods and their glycemic index and glycemic load:
Food / Glycemic Index / Glycemic Load
Crisped Rice Cereal /88 / 77.3
Rice Cakes / 82 / 66.9
Table sugar / 65 / 64.9
Cheerios / 74 / 53.4
Corn Chips / 73 / 46.3
Whole Wheat Bread / 69 / 31.8
Boiled Sweet Potato / 54 / 13.1
Banana /53 / 12.1
Pineapple / 66 / 8.2
Grapes / 43 / 7.7
Apple / 39 / 6.0
Peach / 28 / 3.1
Hopefully you can tell a big difference between the first six items and the last six items. Some of the GI's are still higher in the bottom six, but take notice of the glycemic load. That is where you can really tell the quality of your carbohydrate. Go here if you want to figure the index and load of your carbohydrates! GI > 70 is high, GI 56-69 is medium and GI < 55 is low. A glycemic load < 10 is also considered low.
I will talk more about the other differences in the diets of hunter-gatherer's and Americans later this week. Too much information for one post! I hope I haven't confused anyone too much.
1. Macronutrient balance (carb, protein and fat)
2. Glycemic load
3. Fatty acid balance
4. Potassium/sodium balance
5. Acid/base balance
6. Fiber intake
7. Trace nutrient density
Macronutrient Balance
Americans love their carbs. Our diets have typically been very carbohydrate heavy. Our diets have generally looked like this, protein (15.5%), carbohydrate (49%), fat (34%) and alcohol (3.1%). The hunter-gatherer diet split protein (19-35%), fat (28-47%) and carb (20%-40%). Hunter-gatherer's have a much higher intake of fat, but it was typically the more healthful omega-3 and monounsaturated fat. The types of fat most Americans eat come from fatty beef, fried foods and other junk that is unhealthy for our hearts. While the carbohydrate intake is much lower in the hunter-gatherer diet, the carbs are much higher quality than those of the diet most eat today.
Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load (all info taken from page 85-87 in book)
I remember the first time I heard about the glycemic index. I heard someone talking about it on a NutriSystem commercial. I thought it was just another silly gimmick to sell diet food. Over the past year, I have become a believer in the science behind the glycemic index. Basically, the quality of a carbohydrate can be determined by the glycemic index. It rates how certain foods raise blood sugar levels compared with glucose. White bread, for instance, has a glycemic index of 100. The higher the glycemic index, the faster the food is turned to sugar and the faster your blood sugar rises. Why is a fast rise in blood sugar bad? It causes your energy to spike and then you crash. It won't sustain you through a long day or a hard workout. If a food has a high GI then it digests quickly and is absorbed quickly and realeases glucose in the blood stream quickly. A low GI food is digested slower and releases glucose at a more even rate into the blood stream. This helps keeps energy levels balanced.
The original glycemic index compared equal quantities of carbs (50 grams of carbs per food item). Watermelon has a glycemic index of 72 and a chocolate bar has a glycemic index of 43. Obviously, you would think watermelon is a better choice than chocolate, but according to the glycemic index, it would wreak more havoc on your blood sugar. Why? Because this is measuring 50 grams of carbs from each product. You would have to eat only 3 oz of chocolate to reach the 50 grams of carbs and 1 1/2 pounds of watermelon to reach the 50 grams of carbs. Confusing, right?
To overcome this confusion, the glycemic load scale was developed. It is measured by taking the glycemic index and multiplying it by the carbohydrate content in a typical serving. Much better. Most all refined grains and sugars have high glycemic loads, while fruits and veggies have lower glycemic loads. Meat and seafood have very low carb content so they do not change blood sugar or insulin levels like other foods. Here are some examples of foods and their glycemic index and glycemic load:
Food / Glycemic Index / Glycemic Load
Crisped Rice Cereal /88 / 77.3
Rice Cakes / 82 / 66.9
Table sugar / 65 / 64.9
Cheerios / 74 / 53.4
Corn Chips / 73 / 46.3
Whole Wheat Bread / 69 / 31.8
Boiled Sweet Potato / 54 / 13.1
Banana /53 / 12.1
Pineapple / 66 / 8.2
Grapes / 43 / 7.7
Apple / 39 / 6.0
Peach / 28 / 3.1
Hopefully you can tell a big difference between the first six items and the last six items. Some of the GI's are still higher in the bottom six, but take notice of the glycemic load. That is where you can really tell the quality of your carbohydrate. Go here if you want to figure the index and load of your carbohydrates! GI > 70 is high, GI 56-69 is medium and GI < 55 is low. A glycemic load < 10 is also considered low.
I will talk more about the other differences in the diets of hunter-gatherer's and Americans later this week. Too much information for one post! I hope I haven't confused anyone too much.
The Dr. Oz Diet
I was watching Good Morning America as I got ready for work today. Dr. Oz was on. Dr. Oz is Oprah's go to physician on everything. No. I am not an Oprah freak. I just know that because I pay attention to what is going on in the world of media. It is my job. Anyway, Dr. Oz was talking about the four things you can do to reduce your risk of chronic illness by up to 80%.
1. No smoking.
2. BMI (body mass index) of less than 30.
3. Exercise at least three and a half hours per week.
4. Eat a healthy diet with lots of whole grains, fruits and veggies.
The last one caught my attention because Diane Sawyer and Dr. Oz had a full table decked out with what you should eat during the course of a day. First, he said to get at least seven servings of whole grains. There were bowls full of whole grain cereal, breads, popcorn, etc. Trust me, it was overwhelming even for a girl (me) that used to claim to be able to live on bread and cereal alone. Next, he recommended five servings of fruit and four servings of veggies. I can live with that recommendation. Here was the kicker, less than 2 servings of lean protein. Wow. That is about 8 oz of chicken or turkey a day. I eat that much before lunch.
How do you think you would do on that diet? After your almost full month of paleo do you think you could go back to eating seven servings of grains a day? He made no mention of dairy, which I also found interesting.
1. No smoking.
2. BMI (body mass index) of less than 30.
3. Exercise at least three and a half hours per week.
4. Eat a healthy diet with lots of whole grains, fruits and veggies.
The last one caught my attention because Diane Sawyer and Dr. Oz had a full table decked out with what you should eat during the course of a day. First, he said to get at least seven servings of whole grains. There were bowls full of whole grain cereal, breads, popcorn, etc. Trust me, it was overwhelming even for a girl (me) that used to claim to be able to live on bread and cereal alone. Next, he recommended five servings of fruit and four servings of veggies. I can live with that recommendation. Here was the kicker, less than 2 servings of lean protein. Wow. That is about 8 oz of chicken or turkey a day. I eat that much before lunch.
How do you think you would do on that diet? After your almost full month of paleo do you think you could go back to eating seven servings of grains a day? He made no mention of dairy, which I also found interesting.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Fruit
A quick word about fruit. Fruit is good. You should eat it. Starting out however, it is probably better to base most of your snacks around a protein. The first two weeks I as eating about four or so servings of fruit a day with not enough protein. When I get hungry I typically reach for fruits or nuts. I fell in love with dried mango and baked organic apples. Those were too accessible and made it very easy to eat too much fruit for me.
My percentage of calories from carbs and proteins has been a little out of whack. I want to hover around 50% fat, 30% protein and 20% carbs. I've been more around 50% fat, 30% carbs, 20% protein. For me, I decided to cut back on my fruit. and up the protein. The past few days I have only been eating about 2 1/2 servings of fruit. One with breakfast, half a serving with a mini Larabar (not the big ones) as a snack and then an apple or pear right after my workout.
This might be different for you. Remember, it will be different for everyone. If you aren't losing the body fat you want to lose then look at what you are eating. You might be eating too much fat or you might be eating too much fruit. This is why it is so important to keep some sort of food journal. Keep your lean protein intake high and eat lots of veggies. Get enough fat and eat fruit when you need something sweet and after workouts. Your body may do fine with four or five servings of fruit.
If you think you are eating too much fruit, but you don't want to cut back too much, try to incorporate some lower sugar fruits like rhubarb, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, papaya, apricots, grapefruit and melons. Higher sugar fruits you may want to cut back on are pineapple, pears, mango, bananas, grapes, plums and kiwi.
My percentage of calories from carbs and proteins has been a little out of whack. I want to hover around 50% fat, 30% protein and 20% carbs. I've been more around 50% fat, 30% carbs, 20% protein. For me, I decided to cut back on my fruit. and up the protein. The past few days I have only been eating about 2 1/2 servings of fruit. One with breakfast, half a serving with a mini Larabar (not the big ones) as a snack and then an apple or pear right after my workout.
This might be different for you. Remember, it will be different for everyone. If you aren't losing the body fat you want to lose then look at what you are eating. You might be eating too much fat or you might be eating too much fruit. This is why it is so important to keep some sort of food journal. Keep your lean protein intake high and eat lots of veggies. Get enough fat and eat fruit when you need something sweet and after workouts. Your body may do fine with four or five servings of fruit.
If you think you are eating too much fruit, but you don't want to cut back too much, try to incorporate some lower sugar fruits like rhubarb, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, papaya, apricots, grapefruit and melons. Higher sugar fruits you may want to cut back on are pineapple, pears, mango, bananas, grapes, plums and kiwi.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Your Co-Workers Know All About Paleo When...
...They don't question the 16oz bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil or make shift cutting board sitting in plain site on your desk and the multiple avocado skins in your trash can. Thankfully I have really great co-workers who think the way I eat now is pretty cool. It makes sense to them, even though they say the wouldn't be able to resist the temptations. Yesterday we had a birthday celebration and I actually scooped the Blue Bell Birthday Cake ice cream for everyone. I didn't even lick my fingers. They all came into work this morning feeling horrible. Too much sugar.
How are those around you reacting to paleo?
If you are having trouble here is a great post that Melissa Byers wrote about negative reactions from friends and family. She know her stuff. Her thirty day challenge inspired my thirty day challenge.
More to come from The Paleo Diet for Athletes tomorrow.
I mixed some almond butter into my pumpkin last night. Now that was fantastic.
How are those around you reacting to paleo?
If you are having trouble here is a great post that Melissa Byers wrote about negative reactions from friends and family. She know her stuff. Her thirty day challenge inspired my thirty day challenge.
More to come from The Paleo Diet for Athletes tomorrow.
I mixed some almond butter into my pumpkin last night. Now that was fantastic.
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